LinkageMapView

LinkageMapView is an R package designed to address the challenge of visualizing linkage and QTL maps, critical tools for studying the genetic basis of complex traits. With the rapid advancements in sequencing technologies in the past decade, linkage map densities have increased significantly, but the visualization tools have not kept pace. LinkageMapView fills this gap by providing a free add-on package for R that generates high-resolution, publication-ready visualizations of linkage and QTL maps.

One of the strengths of LinkageMapView is its ability to be integrated into map-building pipelines. It seamlessly incorporates output from R/qtl and accepts simple text or comma-delimited files, making it a versatile and flexible tool for researchers. Additionally, the package offers numerous options to build highly customizable maps, allowing for linkage group comparisons and annotation of QTL regions. These features make it an excellent tool for researchers looking to generate high-quality visualizations of their data.

Furthermore, LinkageMapView is open source and can run on all platforms, making it accessible to many researchers. It is also free, which is a significant benefit for researchers who may not have access to expensive software packages.

Supplementary data are also available at Bioinformatics online.